- Indonesia boosts digital inclusion with internet access in all Sekolah Rakyat schools to promote equitable education.
- Government launches Akas app to digitally preserve the ancient Ulu script, empowering cultural revival through tech.
- Pilot initiatives in Bandung and South Sumatra highlight Indonesia’s push to blend education, heritage, and digital innovation.
Indonesia is embracing digital innovation to promote inclusive education and protect its rich cultural heritage. From increasing internet access in schools to conserving ancient scripts using mobile apps, the government is utilizing connectivity and technology to build a digitally empowered future.
The Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs (Kemkomdigi) is making large strides toward fostering digital equality by maintaining secure internet access across all Sekolah Rakyat (People's Schools). The move complements the government's overall pledge to hasten digitalisation in education and make learning more inclusive across the country.
"Each Sekolah Rakyat outlet will have proper internet services to facilitate digital learning activities", stated Alfreno Kautsar Ramadhan, Special Staff to the Minister, at a visit to the Polytechnic of Social Welfare (Poltekesos).
Alfreno emphasized that this action is in line with President Prabowo Subianto's instruction to enhance access to quality education, particularly among disadvantaged groups.
We hope the students at Poltekesos Bandung, and at all Sekolah Rakyat branches, can access the digital world, so they can look forward to a better future," he said.
The initiative, jointly undertaken by Kemkomdigi and the Ministry of Social Affairs, aims to equip students with essential digital skills and foster leadership potential. “We are not just producing graduates we are shaping a generation of leaders who will guide Indonesia toward a more just, resilient, and sovereign future”, Alfreno added.
As part of the launch, Alfreno visited the digital facilities at the Bandung school, checking out the internet bandwidth that Kemkomdigi offers. Bandung is being used as a pilot location, with three Sekolah Rakyat schools to be launched on July 14: Poltekesos, the Wyataguna Complex, and the Bandung City Vocational Training Center (BLK).
Each school will fund its own digital infrastructure through its day-to-day operating budget, promoting long-term sustainability and local ownership. The Ministry also plans to integrate digital literacy modules into the curriculum so that students not only have access to the internet but also utilize it safely, responsibly, and productively.
Meanwhile, digital resources are also playing a key role in the conservation of Indonesia's cultural heritage. In South Sumatra, the Culture and Tourism Office has been encouraging people to use Akas, a smartphone app that aims to revive the historic Ulu script, or Aksara Kaganga. Widely used in the past from 1925 to 1975, the script is now mostly unknown to the younger generation.
"Aksara Ulu is something that is indispensable to our heritage, and the digital preservation and propagation of it is essential", explained Pandji Tjahjanto, Acting South Sumatra Culture and Tourism Office Head.
Akas employs smart recognition technology to recognize and transform Ulu script from images, handwritings, or uploaded documents into Latin script. It even lets users translate from Indonesian to the Ulu script with instructions on how to read and write each character. The app does sentence-level translation and is an effective learning tool for schools, cultural institutions, and society at large.
The initiative comes in line with national policy in the protection of intangible cultural heritage, as the 28 Kaganga letters were registered officially with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. South Sumatra's digitalization initiative has inspired other local governments to seek similar apps to protect regional scripts and languages using technology.
Aside from the use, South Sumatra is showcasing the Ulu script through innovative public outreach. The characters now adorn souvenir t-shirts and will soon grace street signs and government office signboards across Palembang City.
These efforts show how digital technology and connectivity are not only reshaping education but also playing a crucial role in safeguarding Indonesia's cultural heritage. By bringing together modern tools and old values, Indonesia is providing an example of how countries can future-proof their heritage and empower communities through shared digital access.
